Kuroshitsuji: Safe & Sound
by EibonVirgo
Summary: Kristine Rosehaven is a Seraphim, one of the highest levels of angels in the Kingdom of Heaven and perpetually the closest to God. After some time in Heaven, Kristine is sent once more to Earth to damn a rogue angel to Hell. Along the way, she meets a familiar young boy who has surrounded himself with curious creatures... And finds that not all things can be kept safe and sound.
1. Preface

Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler): Safe & Sound

**Yay! More writings! I hope you guys like this one, it's pretty hard to write with such nice articulation.**

**Enjoy!**

Prologue:

"Kristine Rosehaven."  
I flinched automatically, my head tilting to look at the brilliant light of the angel who was speaking to me. It was the Seraph Seraphiel; his radiant form was too bright for even me-all I could see of him were the feathers of his six wings.  
"Follow Gabriel. He will guide you."  
I turned to face Gabriel. His light was blinding, but not nearly as luminescent as Seraphiel's. Gabriel was an archangel and a warrior, known as one of the most frequent messengers of The Father. He was known as "The Hero of God," and I was privileged enough to go down to Earth with him for the very first time.  
I too was a Seraphim like Seraphiel, however I was younger than the others. More inexperienced. Whenever i would go down to Earth, I had to always be accompanied by another angel in a higher state of experience than I.  
This evening, Gabriel and I descended carefully into London, aware that the city didn't often sleep completely, and we could be seen at any time.  
An angel never looked like any other inhabitant of Earth, and I knew for a fact; despite the human forms we took on, our skin tended to be as luminous as the moon, and the loose white traveling garments we were were usually in tatters from out turbulent descents. To say it simply, we were easily seen.  
I watched the familiar white column recede into the layer of clouds. It was misty this evening, and the streetlamps flickered, gradually turning on to light the walkways of the jumbled city.  
Already, my senses were assaulted from all directions; I had come from a pure white world onto a street that looked like an artist's palette. Apart from the vivid and varied colors of the world, everything had its own texture and shape.  
I looked to Gabriel, who was brushing himself off casually. The appearance of an angel never ceased to amaze me, since all we could see in Heaven were each others' lights.  
In his physical form, Gabriel might as well have been a Renaissance sculpture come to life; his form was perfectly proportioned and looked as if it had been carved out of the purest marble. His sandy hair fell to his shoulders and over his rain gray eyes, his brow strong and his nose as straight as an arrow.  
I was created small, fine-boned, and not especially tall, with a heart-shaped face, pixielike ears, and skin that was pale as the moon. I remained looking ethreal, however I looked nothing like any of the angels I'd met so far; my eyes were a pale, shimmering amethyst, and my silver hair fell in loose waves below my chin.  
Gabriel looked to me and strode to my side. I rolled my shoulders back, adjusting to this new body and trying to remember how to properly work my limbs.  
"Let's get moving," Gabriel told me; I had to now adjust to Gabriel's low, hypnotic voice.  
"I'll follow you," I replied; my own voice was as melodious as a flute.  
Gabriel led me down a narrow path of sidestreets that were dark from the casting shadows. We were in search of a group of demons that we were entrusted to dispose of. I'd been on small escapades such as this before, just disposing of one at a time. I'd never dealt with a group, but there was always time for a change.  
Something clicked in my human mind, which was not particularly spacious, and a feeling of dread spread over me. Gabriel and I turned a corner cautiously, and then Gabriel was thrown viciously to the ground.  
I clamped my hand over my mouth to choke back a shriek; a dark shape hurled itself at Gabriel as he flipped off his back, and Gabriel was tossed to a wall with a heavy crunch.  
The shape's red eyes flashed and it kicked Gabriel swiftly in the stomach.  
Gabriel, his eyes glossy, shouted to me, "Kristine, leave!"  
I was torn. Every instinct I had told me to save him. But Seraphiel told me to follow Gabriel, and following him would mean fleeing.  
Terrified for Gabriel and for myself, I jumped swiftly at the shape and tugged him off of the archangel, twisting around so the demon came in hard contact with the brick wall of the building. The demon then wriggled out of my grip and took off running in the opposite direction. Instead of going after it like the orders were, I knelt at Gabriel's side and examined him carefully. "Are you okay, Gabriel?"  
"I told you to leave," he chuckled, gasping for breath. "But you stayed to help."  
"It was instinctive," I replied, struggling to keep my voice from breaking.  
"That took courage."  
"Do you want me to take you back?"  
Gabriel struggled to stand. "No. I'll be okay. That demon wasn't as strong as it could've been."  
He saw the worried look on my face and beckoned to me, then walked over towards the other end of the alley.  
Reluctantly, I followed and we turned cautiously to the other end of the sidestreet. We'd been searching for a group of demons, so it was possible we could be ambushed again.  
Another feeling swept over me, only this time, it was different. It was a feeling of pure terror and pain, a feeling of loss and of disappointment. It didn't belong to me.  
"Gabriel," I murmured. "What is this feeling?"  
Gabriel's blonde hair flopped as he turned his head some unknown angle. "A grim reaper."  
"I've never come across a grim reaper before, what do we do?"  
"It appears he's towards this way," Gabriel replied, tossing his head one direction in indication. "He's accompanied by three others... Who are not reapers."  
Trying to grasp what he was telling me, I read the vicinity. I'd never beem particularly skilled at reading areas, because it takes a great deal of time to perfect it, and Gabriel had existed for so many years before me. I felt a sickly sweet presence that reminded me hollowly of death; the presence of a reaper, coming from the eaxct direction where Gabriel had indicated.  
The crisp, clean feeling that went along with life, indicating humans-but something was amiss. One of the humans was drenched in the presence of death. The other's soul was tainted with that negative feel that always seemed to remind me of otherworldly creatures... Like demons...  
"There's a demon over there?" I suggested, half unsure of myself.  
"And a strong one at that."  
"Why does one of the humans feel like him?"  
Gabriel gave me a tragic look. "Demons sometimes make contracts with humans, in exchange for something. A human asks for something they most want, and in exchange for that most wanted thing, the human gives the demon their soul. A Faustian Contract."  
I recoiled automatically. I had never heard of something so atrocious. "Do angels do that?"  
"Only some. The transition angels do sometimes."  
"What do they get in exchange?"  
"They give their lives. Their souls are directed straight to Heaven."  
"Oh," I said. "What do the demons do with those souls?"  
Gabriel's face darkened. His rain gray eyes were piercing. "They devour them."  
I felt sick. "And w-we can't help them at all?"  
"In some cases, but the demon in question will most certainly find some way to prevent it."  
I was about to say something, but I was interrupted by a high-pitched keening. I glanced at Gabriel and the two of us sprinted in that general direction.  
We turned the corner and stopped, narrowly veiwing the scene as the rain began to fall. I saw four figures, all completely different.  
A tall, lanky man cloaked in all red, his teeth ground down to a point and his glowing green eyes hiding flirtatiously behind red glasses; from the aura he emitted, I presumed he was the grim reaper. Another man across from this one, with a completely different stature. This man was alluring, dark, deceptive; his red eyes gleamed in the night and the color of his hair reminded me of the glossy feathers of a raven. He was dressed neatly in a butler's uniform, but the white glove that was supposed to be on his right hand was missing-on the back of his hand was a strikingly veiwable pentacle. I knew from right then this man was a demon.  
Beyond was a boy, maybe thirteen or fourteen, with bluish-black hair that fell into his eyes and an eyepatch. He had the aura of the demon too. This was the boy who had made a Faustian Contract with the demon...  
Collapsed on the ground was a woman of twenty or so, with cropped bloodred hair. I knew immediately that she was dead.  
"Gabriel," I whispered. "What do we do?"  
"I'm not sure there's anything we can do," Gabriel answered. "That grim reaper may be inexperienced, but the demon is powerful. If we engaged him, I doubt either of us would survive."  
"So, what do we do?"  
"We leave for now. I'm sure Seraphiel will understand." With that, we drifted back to the brilliant realm that I called home again.  
I cried for the boy who would lose his soul.

**GAHHHH so shorty...**

**OH WELL more where that came from~**

**Thanks for reading! See ya! ;D**

**-Eibon**


	2. Chapter 1

Kuroshitsuji: Safe & Sound

**Well! It wasn't easy, but here is chapter 1! I have finals this week, so I've been cramming and I decided to add this on really quickly! This is a shorter chapter, but it kicks off the whole story! Enjoy!**

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Chapter 1: Genesis

It was quite chilly the morning I landed in Great Britain. A thick layer of fog covered the wide expanse of the city, which made it quite simple for me to land unseen. Condensation still clung to my hair and tattered dress, although my thick white trench coat remained intact. Brushing my damp hair out of my eyes, I continued down the hidden side street and into the bustling city; it never slept, even as the weather was so bleak.  
It was my first time down to Earth in months. After my training had been completed I remained in Heaven, keeping watch over the guardian angels that had been sent out into the world to protect His children.  
Seraphiel once told me that I had been given a very special role, even as I was somewhat inexperienced. On a daily basis, I managed the transition angels as well as the guardians, however, today was a more dangerous task.  
I was born with the knowledge of Lucifer's great betrayal, knowing of the fallen angels and the dangers of their sins; Gabriel and his brothers were normally to manage their spreading darkness, but it was my job on this most arduous day. I had arrived to strip a former guardian angel of their wings and send them to Hell.  
Naturally, I had been created with a pacifist idealism. The thought of damning another of my kind to such a deplorable place was quite sickening... But it was my duty. I was to manage all of the guardian angels.  
The angel(s) in question were created and known to us as Ash and Angela, originally separate beings. I had known Ash for more than enough time to call him my acquaintance, and he had always been an ambitious but gentle creature. Angela seemed harmless enough to me at first, but I kept a close eye on her, for her light was not as bright as I'd have liked it to be. According to Seraphiel, the two had agreed to merge forms and share the same human form as a method of "purification" of the human race. Gabriel had been aware of their desire to purge the human race of its so-called "impurities," however they had seemed too harmless at the time to put an end to. Unfortunately, my old friend had fallen too far to rise again.  
London was a city rich with many things. It stunk of death and darkness, dripped of gilded promises, and offered many more tricks and secrets that were somehow beyond me. Was it the nature of humans to become so curious? In this form, it was difficult to tell.  
As I wandered away from the Thames, the fog seemed to thin out enough so that I could closer examine the areas around me.  
The many buildings of London were large and opulent, however ravaged with their wind-beaten and bricks and weathered mortar bases, and some of them were frighteningly tilted as if they would fall. The high towers of the cathedrals and skyscrapers cut deep holes in the cloud cover, letting in enough light so that one would tell it to be daytime. Passerby inhabitants of the great city were clad in long trench-coats and other accessories of winter, braced and fighting against the battering cold. The weather told me that autumn was drawing to a close, and winter was on its merry way. I drew in my coat closer; the world of humans didn't seem to be giving much mercy to me.  
I continued down the block, where the sun shone behind minimal cloud cover. It appeared that some areas were at least more chipper than others.  
I raised my hand to shade my eyes from the sunlight, and my eyes traced over a gorgeous and well-taken-care-of cathedral. The tan bricks of the walls all had a place to fit, and the columns and parapets were so neatly symmetrical, that it seemed as though Seraphiel had given me some sort of welcoming gift. Gazing above at the wide archways as I entered the chapel, I looked along the stained-glass storybook of the birth of Jesus and felt some distant relief that some humans hadn't lost faith in God.  
"Welcome!" a bishop spotted me from the cathedra, beckoning me over. "Welcome, I am pleased that you are here."  
"Thank you kindly," I replied. "Your church is quite lovely."  
"Oh, no, it isn't my church," the bishop assured me. "this is the house of God, it belongs to Him." The bishop was a kindly man, of older age and appearing to be of great knowledge. His gray eyes were bright and lifelike, despite his aged face crinkled with smile lines.  
I smiled at his correction, and the bishop gently took my hand in his.  
"You see, we've been waiting such a long time for you."  
"For me?" I asked innocently, wondering if he knew of my species.  
"Indeed, I have been praying for a savior for many months. Now, you have finally come!"  
"I don't understand."  
The bishop's expression softened. "I cannot see your face, child. But I can see your light."  
It was then that I finally realized that the bishop was blind. I said nothing in my inner sickness of confusion, and the bishop led me forward into the bema. He gazed up at the rose window with sightless eyes and spoke again:  
"It is a time of darkness. Too many of my brothers and sisters have fallen at the knees of the devils that roam this wide earth, and I have been lucky enough to be blessed today with hope." he turned to look at me once more. "I am aware of the fact that you were not sent specifically here to me. However, I am ever elated that you roam these streets."  
At this, I did not know how to reply. "There is an abbey some length up the river," he told me. "you are welcome there, and here at any time."  
"T-Thank you, sir," I choked out finally. "God bless you."  
The elderly bishop bowed his head, and I received it as a signal of dismissal. As I left, he echoed after me, "And you as well."

I walked along the grassy border of the Thames, traveling swiftly up the river towards the abbey the kind bishop had mentioned. I had felt the truth in his words-every syllable was nothing short of an axiom. Why had Seraphiel never mentioned the suffering of humans in this world? Perhaps our neglect of them had caused the loss of faith.  
A small but quaint building was looming in the rising sunlight, providing some shade in the growing afternoon. I examined the small wooden door that led into the main building of the abbey, and knocked lightly. The small, dainty face of a young woman peeked around the wooden door frame, and a few small children poked their small heads out from under her frocked skirt. "May I help you?"  
Her large eyes were wide with lack of sleep, and she looked as if she was afraid to exit the building. "If I may be so bold," I replied breathlessly, "I believe I should be offering you assistance."  
The young woman gazed at me with her wide eyes, opening the door a little wider. One of the small children tottered over to me on his chubby toddler legs and tripped a few feet in front of me.  
"My goodness!" I exclaimed as the child began to cry large and wet tears. I knelt down to take the child upon my arm, lifting him so that I was looking into his cherubic face. "Are you all right, dear?"  
Immediately, his tears ceased and the baby looked at me in wonder with large brown eyes. I smiled lightly and swayed slightly to calm him. "There, now. You're all right." The baby's tiny hand reached up and touched my cheek; I listened to his fluttering thoughts, like a butterfly that had just escaped from its cocoon. "What is your name?" I asked the cowering woman, who had found the courage to rise fully into the doorway.  
"My name is Alice," she replied. Alice brushed her dark hair out of her tired green eyes and watched the baby play with the shoulder of my coat. "It's lovely to meet you, Alice," I replied. "My name is Kristine. I came here from the cathedral down the river."  
"You were sent here by Bishop Henry?" Alice asked. After mulling this over for a bit, Alice glanced at the child on my shoulder. "Come in, Kristine."  
Once I had entered the abbey, I found dozens of little pairs of eyes on me, and realized that this was also a sanctuary for abandoned children. Was Alice all alone here? "You are the mistress of an orphanage?" I asked gently, laying a kind look on every child that glanced my way.  
"Yes," Alice answered. "When I arrived in London first, I came across a little abandoned girl and adopted her. Now that she's gone and grown up, I feel the need to watch over the rest of these little gifts."  
"You believe children to be gifts?"  
"Yes. Every life is a gift from God to be cherished."  
I smiled gently. "I could not agree with you more. You are a good person, Alice."  
"Thank you," she murmured quietly. "I do my best, but some of them are sick or trouble and cannot be saved."  
"Perhaps I could help," I suggested gently. "Thank you, Kristine," Alice said, and smiled. "But I don't want to trouble you. And besides, I have been blessed with far too much generosity already."  
I looked at her, confused, and another knock came on the door. However, this one seemed quite fervent. Alice stepped around her children and went to get the door again, to which there was a small young lady standing there with her arms full of little toys and stuffed animals.  
Looking around a rather large stuffed bear, she rested her wide emerald eyes on me. The girl's tiny rosebud mouth fell open, and her blond ponytails bounced as she gasped, "Goodness! You must be the most adorable thing I have ever seen in my life!"

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**Henry and Alice are minor characters now, but they'll come into play later on! Don't forget them!**

**Points for who can figure out the little girl ^^ (Well... Shouldn't be too hard?)**

**Kristine's adventures begin! Thanks for reading!**

**See ya ;D**

**-Eibon**


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